skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Treble chance: Everton v Aston Villa, Wolves v Tottenham, Coventry v Derby, Peterborough v Hull, Bury v Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons, Morecambe v Crawley, Swindon v Southend, Inverness v Hearts, Livingston v Falkirk.
Best draws: Wolves v Tottenham, Coventry v Derby, Peterborough v Hull, Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons, Morecambe v Crawley.
Aways: Liverpool, Leicester, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Brentford.
Homes: Arsenal, Manchester City, Blackpool, Burnley, Cardiff, Bournemouth, Charlton, Bradford, Cheltenham.
Pick of the draws: Bottom-of-the-table Tottenham will be anxious to put some points on the board after their poor start to the season. They drew at Wolves last season and can do so again, despite the improvement shown by the hosts in the Premier League. Derby have maximum points from two away matches in the Championship but I'm taking struggling Coventry to hold them, especially after their well-earned point at Middlesbrough two weeks ago. Hull are showing signs of recovery after their stuttering start and can get something at Peterborough. Sheffield Wednesday, who did well to draw 1-1 at Charlton on Monday, have enough in their locker to check the progress of MK Dons, who are joint top of League One, while two in-form sides, Morecambe and Crawley, play each other in League Two.
Away days: Liverpool are a force to be reckoned with these days and equipped to prevail at Stoke, even with the hosts' transfer-deadline day signings. Leicester seem to be getting back on track in the Championship and will be confident of winning at Barnsley. Crystal Palace have made rapid strides under manager Dougie Freedman, particularly in defence, and can surprise Leeds, who are brittle and erratic. League One joint leaders Sheffield United must be fancied at Scunthorpe and Brentford, who are thriving under Uwe Rosler, will rate their chances at Wycombe.
Homes sweet homes: Blackpool will be expected to punish an Ipswich team who have already conceded 14 goals in the Championship this season. Burnley fully merited their away victory at Derby and I believe they will build on that against Middlesbrough at Turf Moor. In League One, lowly Bournemouth are worth backing against Chesterfield, who are doing even worse. Bradford City, encouraged by their last-minute equaliser at pace-setting Morecambe last Saturday, should be in the mood against Bristol Rovers in League Two while Cheltenham look too strong for Macclesfield, whose bubble burst against Torquay at the weekend.
Treble chance: Carlisle v MK Dons, Chesterfield v Leyton Orient, Aldershot v Cheltenham, Barnet v Accrington, Crewe v Oxford, Gillingham v Shrewsbury, Ebbsfleet v Barrow, Newport v Cambridge, Nuneaton v Gainsborough, Solihull v Hinckley.
Best draws: Carlisle v MK Dons, Aldershot v Cheltenham, Crewe v Oxford, Gillingham v Shrewsbury, Newport v Cambridge.
Aways: Huddersfield, Port Vale, Rotherham, Tamworth, Boston.
Homes: Notts County, Scunthorpe, Sheffield United, Walsall, Burton, Crawley, Southend, Forest Green, Gateshead.
Pick of the draws: MK Dons are the surprising leaders of League One but they will have their work cut out at Carlisle, who have also made a fine start to the season. Cheltenham are one of the surprise packages in League Two and playing well enough to gain a point at Aldershot. Crewe are finding goals hard to come by and it is difficult to see that changing against promotion hopefuls Oxford. Shrewsbury seem on the upgrade after a hesitant start and I'm backing them to hold Gillingham, who were well beaten at Rotherham last Saturday. Neither Newport nor Cambridge is setting the Blue Square Premier alight and I predict another stalemate.
Away days: Huddersfield are expected to break their away duck against out-of-sorts Oldham in League One while, in League Two, Port Vale should be strong enough to beat AFC Wimbledon. Rotherham will be confident of staying top of the division against Swindon, who are languishing at the wrong end of the table. Tamworth have made an encouraging start in the Blue Square Premier and are worth supporting at Hayes & Yeading. Boston, who have already won two away matches in the Blue Square North, are fancied to make it three against struggling Bishop's Stortford.
Homes sweet homes: Scunthorpe are playing better than their results suggest in League One and could surprise Colchester. Walsall had an excellent 2-0 victory at Bournemouth last Saturday and are tipped for another three points against Brentford. Southend are in fine fettle in League Two and will probably see off underperforming Northampton. Forest Green are punching above their weight in the Blue Square Premier and look good for maximum points against lowly Grimsby.
Treble chance: Blackburn v Everton, Tottenham v Manchester City, Brighton v Peterborough, Ipswich v Leeds, Watford v Birmingham, Preston v Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday v Scunthorpe, Northampton v Morecambe, Inverness v Kilmarnock, St Johnstone v Dundee United.
Best draws: Tottenham v Manchester City, Ipswich v Leeds, Watford v Birmingham, Sheffield Wednesday v Scunthorpe, Northampton v Morecambe.
Aways: Queens Park Rangers, Reading, West Ham, Oldham, Crawley.
Homes: Aston Villa, Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion, Derby, Middlesbrough, Exeter, Leyton Orient, MK Dons, Bristol Rovers.
Pick of the draws: Manchester City drew at Tottenham on the opening day of last season and Sunday's match looks nailed on for a repeat result. City have hit the ground running with maximum points from their first two Premier League fixtures, but Tottenham are hard to beat at home and will be anxious to put some points on the board. Although Ipswich have conceded 12 goals in their last two Championship matches, manager Paul Jewell will be determined to find a solution for the visit of Leeds, who have made only an average start to the season. It looks like being a long, hard winter for both Watford and Birmingham, who meet at Vicarage Road on Sunday. I cannot see them being separated. In League One, get on Scunthorpe to follow up their merited 2-2 draw at Charlton by gaining a point at Sheffield Wednesday. Morecambe are the surprise package in League Two and tipped to share the spoils at Northampton.
Away days: The mood at QPR has changed for the better. Now under new ownership, they deserved their victory at Everton last Saturday and can come away from Wigan with three points. Hull have already lost two Championship matches at home this season, so don't be surprised if they end up second best to their enterprising visitors, Reading. West Ham have looked more comfortable away than at home and I fancy them to beat Nottingham Forest, who have yet to settle under Steve McClaren. Oldham are showing signs of turning the corner in League One and winning at Colchester should not be beyond them. Crawley are the bookmakers' favourites for a second successive promotion and will probably add Cheltenham to their list of League Two scalps.
Homes sweet homes: Aston Villa are showing signs of being a more difficult proposition this season and they can halt the early-season progress of Wolves in the Premier League. Although West Bromwich are pointless after two matches, they played well against Manchester United and Chelsea and are a good bet to defeat Stoke. In League One, promoted Chesterfield are still reeling from their 6-2 thrashing by MK Dons on Saturday and Exeter can take advantage. Leyton Orient find themselves bottom of this division but won't be panicking just yet. Have a punt on the Londoners collecting their first points of the season against Carlisle.
Treble chance: Arsenal v Liverpool, Norwich v Stoke, Swansea v Wigan, Wolves v Fulham, Brighton v Blackpool, Burnley v Cardiff, Hull v Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday v Notts County, Kilmarnock v Hearts, Motherwell v Rangers.
Best draws: Arsenal v Liverpool, Wolves v Fulham, Brighton v Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday v Notts County, Motherwell v Rangers.
Aways: Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers.
Homes: Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland, Coventry, Derby, Stevenage, Wycombe, Gillingham, Morecambe.
Pick of the draws: The last two matches between Arsenal and Liverpool have ended 1-1, and I fancy a repeat at the Emirates stadium in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday. Neither team distinguished themselves when dropping points on the opening weekend of the season and it is difficult to see either finding anything extra. Fulham are shaping up well enough in defence to deny Wolves victory at Molineux on Sunday. Both promoted Brighton and relegated Blackpool have started well in the Championship and can share the spoils. Notts County are thriving under Martin Allen's managership and are a good bet for a point at Sheffield Wednesday, who have made an unconvincing start in League One. Motherwell have earned their top spot in the Scottish Premier League and can frustrate Rangers.
Away days: There are remarkably few away bankers this weekend, so take a chance on Manchester City to beat Bolton, even though the hosts got off to a flier by winning 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers. It's about time City showed more adventure on their travels and they will be encouraged by their runaway victory over Premier League newcomers Swansea last Monday. In the Championship, Bristol City are down in the dumps and Portsmouth should be able to take advantage. Sheffield United, with maximum points from their first three games in League One, are tipped to make it four in a row at Tranmere. In League Two, Dagenham & Redbridge are worth a punt at Bradford City, as are Bristol Rovers at inconsistent Macclesfield.
Homes sweet homes: Sunderland had a good result at Anfield last Saturday and, having made some good signings during the summer, should be backed to avenge their 5-0 defeat by Newcastle at St James' Park last season. Coventry are pointless after three matches in the Championship, but have played better than their results suggest. I'm tipping them to get off the mark against struggling Watford. Promoted Stevenage, who had a terrific 3-1 win at Bournemouth in League One on Tuesday, will be confident of continuing their rise against Hartlepool, while in League Two Morecambe look too strong for Aldershot.
Treble chance: Stoke v Chelsea, Wigan v Norwich, Leicester v Reading, Portsmouth v Brighton, Watford v Derby, Bournemouth v Sheffield Wednesday, Colchester v Wycombe, Notts County v Charlton, Yeovil v Oldham, Burton v Shrewsbury.
Best draws: Stoke v Chelsea, Wigan v Norwich, Portsmouth v Brighton, Bournemouth v Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County v Charlton.
Aways: Arsenal, Bolton, Manchester United, West Ham, MK Dons.
Homes: Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, Millwall, Chesterfield, Leyton Orient, Barnet.
Pick of the draws: Stoke are formidable at home, have had a good pre-season and won't have an inferiority complex about playing Chelsea, who will be hoping to impress their new manager. Norwich are the likeliest of the three Premier League newcomers to stay up and I expect them to start this campaign by holding Wigan, who only escaped relegation on the final day of last season. Another promoted club, Brighton, got their Championship season off to a good start last Saturday by winning in stoppage-time and look good for a share of the spoils at Portsmouth. In League One, Sheffield Wednesday look a stronger outfit now and capable of spoiling Bournemouth's day. Notts County and Charlton impressed while recording 3-0 victories last weekend, so don't be surprised if this Saturday's fixture results in stalemate.
Away days: Newcastle are one of the few Premier League clubs to have had a more unsettling close season than Arsenal, who visit St James' Park on Saturday. That's the main reason I'm taking injury-troubled Arsenal to collect maximum points. Bolton faded badly at the end of last season but Owen Coyle's team should still have too much for promoted Queens Park Rangers. Champions Manchester United, strengthened by three new signings, are determined to be first out of the blocks this time and I cannot see Roy Hodgson's West Bromwich Albion denying them at the Hawthorns. West Ham will surely shrug off their Championship home defeat by Cardiff last Sunday by defeating injury-ravaged Doncaster at the Keepmoat stadium. In League One, MK Dons are tipped to win at Exeter, who were shot-shy in a drab goalless draw at Stevenage last weekend.
Homes sweet homes: Relegated Birmingham played well despite being beaten at Derby last weekend and should regain their confidence against Coventry in the Championship. Leeds are much better than they showed in their opening-day defeat at Southampton last Saturday and I fancy them to put things right against Middlesbrough. Millwall, who gained a creditable 2-2 draw at Reading, are tipped to see off Nottingham Forest. In League One, Leyton Orient can get off the mark against Tranmere and in League Two, Barnet, convincing 1-0 winners at Morecambe, can prevail against Port Vale, who are poor travellers.
